Technology is moving so fast it's almost impossible to predict what kinds of amazing advances will be available to us in the next fifty, thirty, or even ten years. In fact, I think trying to predict technology of the near-future is even more difficult than postulating about the far-future. Many near-future games that have tried to speculate on what the face of technology will look like even just a couple decades out have had to had to later revisit their vision of the future. I remember when I first played Cyberpunk 2020 in the early 1990s. I remember well that my netrunner -- of course, I was a netrunner -- had to find a physical connection to connect to the network. Who could have predicted then that even as soon as the year 2000, the idea of a wired connection would start to become outmoded?

In any case, I often find myself inspired (or horrified) by technological advances of our day and how I might expand on those concepts and take them to their interesting and perhaps unconsidered natural conclusions. For instance, as I was driving to work today, I was listening to yet another one of those commercials for OnStar. In the advertisement, a desperate OnStar customer calls when he has locked himself out of his car. Cheerfully, the operator confirms a few personal details and then sends a signal to remote unlock his vehicle. At the end of the radio spot, the announcer adds that this is just one of the many safety features of the OnStar service.

Being the pessimistic sort, I thought to myself, if they can remote unlock my doors, what else could they control? Obviously, they could potentially hook into virtually any function of the vehicle. Stop, start, slow down, locate, whatever. And I wondered, what then prevents law-enforcement from using a car equipped with such technology to not just locate a vehicle, but also totally lock that vehicle down and stop a high-speed car chase before it started?

As it turns out, I found out after I visited their website they actually already do this (http://www.onstar.com/us_english/jsp/plans/svs.jsp). (Aww.. Isn't that such a happy video?) It sounds like such a good idea... Until, that is, the government decides that all vehicles should be equipped with a device like this that allows them to track and stop a vehicle in its tracks. In a near-future game, where the PCs might at some point be fleeing from law-enforcement (perhaps not so friendly law enforcement, if this is a dark-future game) it might be a nasty little surprise to pull on them when they find out that the police can remotely shut off their get-away car's engine...

So, that's one idea of a near-future expansion of present day technology. What others can you think of that would be interesting to throw into a near-future game?

From the "Chtorr War" series by David Gerrold, when they came out with energy weapons, there was a chip in them that controlled their use (think Intel chip). Little did the purchasers know that there was also an On*Star-like thing in there that allowed for remote (satellite) deactivation of the weapon. BOY did it play havoc with people setting up ambushes and the like!!

Skunkape

12-20-2007, 06:19 AM

The "Vang" series has some interesting future tech, mostly explained in the vehicles the people use. One item I use quite frequently in my sci-fi campaigns is a computer in all vehicle engines that not only tracks where the vehicle is, but keeps the user from driving it if their blood alcohol level is too high and can also be used to shut down the vehicle.

Consequently, it's against the law to remove/disable the computer!:D

Digital Arcanist

12-20-2007, 11:02 AM

The "Vang" series has some interesting future tech, mostly explained in the vehicles the people use. One item I use quite frequently in my sci-fi campaigns is a computer in all vehicle engines that not only tracks where the vehicle is, but keeps the user from driving it if their blood alcohol level is too high and can also be used to shut down the vehicle.

Consequently, it's against the law to remove/disable the computer!:D

They have those today....I've seen them in action and they are pretty nifty. They also have black boxes designed for use with teenage drivers that record every piece of data you could ever want.....including the number of rapid sudden accelerations and decelerations.;)

Digital Arcanist

12-20-2007, 11:13 AM

I'm surprised no one had mentioned the advances in body armor. On Good Morning America about a fortnight back they showed the prototypes for a set of Spartan-like (Halo) armor and a muscle-force enhancing exoskeleton. The armor, of course, was a replica but the exoskeleton worked well. I can't remember exactly, but I think the DoD guy said the armor was supposed to be ready by 2015-2020. That's pretty close.....

The armor had a new form of self-healing kevlar using memory material. It also had environmental adjustment systems, water/food system, and biometric sensors that coupled with some programming would be able to diagnose certain battlefield ailments. The helmet was chocked full of sensors and they were working on a 360° view inside the helmet. All-in-all it almost makes me want to enlist, but not quite.

Dimthar

12-20-2007, 05:04 PM

So, that's one idea of a near-future expansion of present day technology. What others can you think of that would be interesting to throw into a near-future game?

Well, the bigger dissapointment has been and will be the Robots (Revisualizing Robotics: New DNA for Surviving a World of Cheap Labor, Steven Baard Skaar and Guillermo DelCastillo)

According to my friend (Guillermo) one of the bigger challenges for this futuristic development is their limited ability to recognize objects using their vision systems (his PhD project was a "robotic" wheelchair for paraplejic) .

UAVs were mentioned before, and are an example of what to expect. Machines being extensions of humans, enhancing our abilities, but not acting as independent units.

Being Human Rights so important these days (So, no bombing civilian enclavements), warfare I imagine will still be fought in urban environments, so I agree with the Body Armor.

I forsee the Rise of a new "NET"and the current Internet will function like a "Catacomb" network for rebels, radicals, thugs and criminals.

Ah! and Stephen Colbert's Icecream will be the only one available.

Farcaster

12-20-2007, 05:18 PM

Did you all see this video: http://edition.cnn.com/video/?/video/health/2007/12/14/stout.skorea.glowing.cats.ytn

Digital Arcanist

12-20-2007, 06:57 PM

Why? Why would you meddle in the affairs of the divine? Have they learned nothing from their own Manga/Anime? This has biological nightmare written all over it. If I have to spend my middle years fighting off gigantic radioactive Iguanas, I'm going to be very angry!!!!:mad:

shilar

12-21-2007, 06:12 AM

Microwave riot suppression fields,
USA Army already has directed versions of these, They are being fielded in limited numbers in Iraq. Along with a sonic riot suppression weapon. Modern Marvels did a story on these a few years back.

remote police drones based on UAV flyers,
The UK is doing field tests with these in London and a few other places.

bio-emp weapons (grenades)......just to name a few!!
Haven't heard anything about this but the latest riot grenades are basically epic level stink bombs. They took all of the smells that humans find universally repulsive and made highly concentrated synthetic versions of them and crammed it into a grenade.
My prediction for near future tech is full VR. Combining sensory deprivation with visual stimuli, false sensory input(basically little shocks to fool your brain into creating its own stimulus to fit the scenario), and new technology in using nervous system interface as controls. Everquest 3 could take on a whole new level of interaction.

Digital Arcanist

12-21-2007, 12:04 PM

Isn't technology grand? I, personally, believe the Star Wars project was a success but its housed somewhere because its defense is not yet feasible. I'm waiting for the government to create some real cloaking technology and then look out!!!

Farcaster

12-21-2007, 12:35 PM

What about the situation of non-renewable resources like oil? Predictions vary on when we'll actually hit peak oil production, but clearly we will run out eventually. Let's postulate for a moment that in the next twenty years, we will have a major oil crisis. This would have broad reaching consequences on everything from heating our homes to the distribution of food stuffs.

As I see it, there are really two possibilities. Our government and the oil companies will stop selling us out and get to the business of developing viable new energy technologies. If that happens, we may have a rocky transition, but perhaps we'll sidestep the worst of it and avoid pesky little problems like people starving to death because their communities are far separated from their food sources. The other possibility, and this seems more likely, is that when the time comes, we will be almost completely unprepared with no infrastructure of alternate fuels in place. In which case, there will be a global equalization of our population as we scramble to deal with the problem at hand.

So, what if we had a global oil crisis in 2030. Would we have technology in place to deal with it? What about if it happened in 2015?

Skunkape

12-28-2007, 08:14 AM

Maybe I'm seeing a conspiracy here, but I'm pretty sure when we 'run out of oil', this 'brandie new' technology will suddenly appear on the market, produced by those same oil companies, that they just happened to come up with at the last minute to save us from dropping into the dark ages! Yeah I know, it leans toward a conspiracy theory, but I just can't believe that the oil companies wouldn't develop something like that and keep a lid on it till they bled the planet dry of all the oil.

Mulsiphix

12-28-2007, 11:37 AM

I concur with Skunkape. Until every last cent is milked from mother earth they'll continue to tap her resources. Then, as if by magic, a profitable new alternative to oil will appear on the market created by said companies. Tis the way of the corporate world.

Digital Arcanist

12-28-2007, 11:50 AM

It doesn't work that way guys....as oil fields in accessible areas dry up, the cost to drill and transport the oil increases exponentially until consumers here can't afford gas. This has an impact on all aspects of our lives as we've seen in the grocery stores with milk and butter prices most evidently.

You'll find consumers galvanized against the oil companies long before all the oil is pulled from the Earth. There are already advances in hydrogen cells and super-efficient engines that will come to fruition in the coming years that will leave fossil fuels in the dust. There is a book called Out of Oil by David Goodstein that succinctly describes what is scientifically theorized to happen in the next 10 years. I have a feeling the apocalypse won't be nuclear powered.

Aptera has a car that goes nearly 350 miles per gallon and expels only 78 grams of carbon. This vehicle is also affordable and nearing readiness for mass-production. They will surely win the X Prize.

There is also an outdoor paint containing photovoltaic cells in research now. Imagine getting rid of those expensive cells on your roof and converting your home, gazebo, garage, shed, pool, etc. into solar cells.

The articles are in this month's Wired magazine and the latest issue of the Painter's trade magazine respectively.

Dimthar

12-28-2007, 02:12 PM

I concur with Skunkape. Until every last cent is milked from mother earth they'll continue to tap her resources. Then, as if by magic, a profitable new alternative to oil will appear on the market created by said companies. Tis the way of the corporate world.

The Oil companies are not the ones to blame. Unfortunately we've been swiming in oil in the last 2 decades and where is abundance there is waste. The best example of this are the Hummers, Tthe rucks and the SUVs.

Japan, European and 3rd world countries have a vast array of Safe and Fuel Efficient Small Cars. The other day in Yahoo I was reading an article whose Headline was "Small Cars Perform not So Good in Crash Tests" (Or something like that), it was the results of Small Cars like the Yaris and Fit on side impacts, but if you read carefully 1) The bad results were mostly against "Killer" Trucks and SUVs and 2) most of the problem was not having Side-AirBags as an standard feature.

Even Gas Engines are now way more efficient than 20 years ago, but instead of saving Gas, we chose to make our Cars bigger, compare a Corolla 2008 Vs Corolla circa 1990? And lets not talk about trucks.

Ethanol is not a magical solution, and Yes, Ethanol efficiency is lower than Gas, but the downsize can be offset by having true "Flex Fuel" engines like the ones running in Brazil, a technology that has been mastered even by GM and Ford. The Miles/Dollar will reach an optimum when your car has an engine who can indistinctivly switch from 100% Ethanol to 100% Gas depending on what is cheaper.

Hydrogen cells are already being tested in Buses in Europe. Hybrid technology is been out for some years and still is not standard for all vehicles (Ooohh! They are more expensive!!)

Solar Panels are not cheap, but a 50K dollar can give a 1500 sq/ft house independence from the electrical grid (Which most likely will get you killed during the future Energy Crisis).

According to CNN, when the Gas prices were above $3.00, Did we move to smaller Cars??? No .... Did we bought more hybrids?? No ... Did we started Carpooling??? No .... we cutted our expenses and kept demand constant!!.

Forget the Aptera ... Why can't we buy a Mercedes "Class A" or an Audi "A2" (Ups! they don't make it anymore)??? Because there is no market.

Anyway ... I don't see an Oil Crisis, but more a Credit Crisis when people start trying to buy NEW Fuel Efficient Carts (or electric, water or squirrel powered) and nobody will accept their Trade-In Gas cars.

The Consumer is the only one to blame.

Mulsiphix

12-28-2007, 04:25 PM

I happily stand corrected Digital Arcanist and Dimthar. I don't watch much news and certainly don't read many newspapers or magazines. Clearly I was misinformed and jumped to unfounded conclusions. This forum rocks :D

NerdBird

12-29-2007, 10:12 PM

Isn't technology grand? I, personally, believe the Star Wars project was a success but its housed somewhere because its defense is not yet feasible. I'm waiting for the government to create some real cloaking technology and then look out!!!

I loved some of the people who demanded that the Space Defense Initiative protect 100% instead of the 90-95% it was trying for.

And it scaled wonderfully. By doubling the number of SDI satellites we more than halve the number of missiles that get through. And in order to saturate the system, the enemy has to shoot 10 times as many missiles. Yes, it had its vulnerabilities, but it was better than MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction for those readers whose schools didn't double as fall-out shelters).

Of course, the SDI wouldn't protect against somebody just bringing in a bomb in a lunch box. Or a lunatic with a grudge and fertilizer.

NerdBird

12-29-2007, 10:22 PM

One item I haven't seen in this discussion is computers. I'm almost 50 years old and have seen the computer networking infrastructure grow. And computers get better along with it.

I'm using a computer with a quad-core processor and only 2 gig of RAM (my RAM broke, so I'm waiting for my replacement 8 gig so I can do graphics again). My first computer that I built had (eventually) 18k of RAM when that was highly uncommon.

Now I can by a microcontroller that has more capacity in a one-chip solution. And I don't have to program a microcontroller in hex codes.

In the short term I see computers getting better, mainly pushed by the gamers and the graphics people. One can already buy VR goggles that simulate a 60" TV at 6' (I think those are the numbers); these goggles include speakers that can be disabled for those gamers with full-surround sound and a bass that can move furniture. :)

I think that small computers (PDAs) will get much more powerful. Think of the iPhone which a screen that can be rolled out with voice input and full connectivity and the full power of a modern PC. 2 years maybe?

Mulsiphix

12-29-2007, 11:46 PM

I think that small computers (PDAs) will get much more powerful. Think of the iPhone which a screen that can be rolled out with voice input and full connectivity and the full power of a modern PC. 2 years maybe?I think two years is a bit optimistic. Then again I guess that depends highly on what you feel qualifies as a "modern PC".

Digital Arcanist

12-30-2007, 01:10 PM

Raise your hands if you know about Moore's Law....

There is considerable pre-cursor technology we will need before we can move forward in increasing the power of computers. There is also the fact that heat exchange and power supply are serious problems as illustrated by the Xbox 360.

Something I am most interested in is biological agent detectors. The military and CDC use large bulky detectors now to test for about 6, at maximum, biological agents and diseases that are airborne. I would like to see a device that is small and unobtrusive that could continually test for 50 or more deadly diseases and agents in the air and water and maybe through skin contact.

Mulsiphix

12-30-2007, 01:33 PM

How feasible is nano-technology for near future? Technically it is here now but what it is used for currently, if anything, is unknown to me. I wouldn't imagine anything as advanced as the Borg's usage of it from Star Trek but it could be used for a great deal of things in the near future.

Digital Arcanist

12-30-2007, 01:37 PM

Nanotech doesn't really exist yet...the best they have done is to arrange atoms into kanji and to spell out IBM on a substrate.

Google MEMS and you'll find technology with potential and a lot things you use everyday that have micro-sized machines in them and you didn't even know about it.

NerdBird

12-31-2007, 01:43 AM

Something I am most interested in is biological agent detectors. The military and CDC use large bulky detectors now to test for about 6, at maximum, biological agents and diseases that airborne. I would like to a device that is small and unobtrusive that could continually test for 50 or more deadly diseases and agents in the air and water and maybe through skin contact.

I remember reading about a medical test about a year ago from a company in Texas. They require a few teaspoons of blood, and they run tests on about 200 markers simultaneously to more accurately diagnose about 100 different conditions. Of course, it was rather expensive.

Mulsiphix

12-31-2007, 10:43 AM

This is sort of an alternate timeline future invention. Back in the late 90's, if I remember correctly, a company built a special highway that allowed a hovercar to work on it. I don't remember the science behind it but I do remember it was in fact working. Obviously with all the alternative fossil fuels being promoted today such a thing isn't going to happen, at least not for quite some time, but I remember thinking the future was just around the corner :D

GBVenkman

01-01-2008, 12:26 AM

I've always thought stem cell research might explode into the ability to grow any organ, thus extending the average life span by a few years.

This would also help with spinal injuries and limb loss.

Another would be super small computers, so anywhere you think a practical use of a small super computer, use it.

Maybe a world where tons of information is loaded into chips that are implanted into people, like a brain PDA. This surgery could give the buyer bonuses to intelligence checks.

I think we've nearly perfected machine guns, and don't see anything near that would replace that.. Maybe a new type of taser weapon from hell?

Those micro machine size flies that they've built can be perfected and used as spies..

Mulsiphix

01-01-2008, 01:13 AM

There is always room for improvement. The machine guns could be smaller, be made of fewer pieces (ease of portability), generate less heat, hold more bullets, include holographic scopes that don't require you to hold your eye in front of the scope, be cheaper to manufacture, have a longer shelf life, etc...

Holographic technology is definitely something worth looking into. TLC, the band, did an entire concert using holographic projectors after one of the band members had died. They put on an entire concert and it appeared the other band member was up there with them. There was lots of running around and dance moves too so it was pretty impressive. The uses for holographic technology is quite extensive though.

I forgot about manless arial drones developing into manless/remote tanks and droids.

I always loved blade runner.

Mulsiphix

01-01-2008, 12:02 PM

There is always room for expansion in non-lethal weapons as well. In a setting where questionably barbaric interrogation is acceptable, non-lethal weapons would be almost as important as lethal ones in any given battle.

Inquisitor Tremayne

01-06-2008, 02:14 PM

Is there a blade runner RPG?

rabkala

01-06-2008, 04:29 PM

Just a video game of Bladerunner as far as I can tell.

Mulsiphix

01-06-2008, 09:58 PM

No Blade Runner RPG unfortunately. It influenced a great deal of video games though, the majority of which I've had the pleasure of playing. For those who care:
Blade Runner has also influenced the adventure games (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adventure_game) Rise of the Dragon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rise_of_the_Dragon), Snatcher (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snatcher), Beneath a Steel Sky (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beneath_a_Steel_Sky) and Flashback: The Quest for Identity (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flashback:_The_Quest_for_Identity), the anime series Bubblegum Crisis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubblegum_Crisis), the role-playing game (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Role-playing_game) Shadowrun (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadowrun), the first-person shooter (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First-person_shooter) Perfect Dark (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfect_Dark), the computer game BioShock (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BioShock) and the Syndicate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syndicate_computer_games) games. The fictional language Cityspeak has been used in many cyberpunk genre role-playing games. The memorable Scrap Brain Zone (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic_the_Hedgehog_%2816-bit%29#Scrap_Brain_Zone) level from the original Sonic the Hedgehog (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic_the_Hedgehog_%2816-bit%29) features an almost identical score to the Blade Runner 'End Title' theme, and is clearly a direct tribute. The J-E-N-O-V-A track from Final Fantasy VII (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Fantasy_VII) also bears a close resemblance to the ending credit's theme.[38] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blade_runner#_note-titleFinal_Fantasy_VII_Original_Soundtrack_:_Sound trackCentral.com) The 1996 Battle Arena Toshinden URA (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_Arena_Toshinden_2) fighting video game features an android character named "Replicant" like the humanoids in Blade Runner. Bryan Fury (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryan_Fury) of the Tekken series (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tekken_%28series%29) is based heavily on Roy Batty. Timesplitters 2 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timesplitters_2) also contains a level called neo Tokyo which has a similar look and feel to the film. The 2006 shooter Gears of War (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gears_of_War) contains a revolver used as a side-arm by players that looks and sounds very similar to the pistol used by Deckard throughout the film..

tesral

01-15-2008, 08:38 AM

Futurists are always wrong. The first thing to remember when dealing with discussing the possible future. For reference simply view any film or read any book about the near future that is speaking of when we live now from the PoV of 30, 40 even 60 years ago. They always get it wrong!

Why? Well for starters there is the technology from out of the blue. Who in even the 1960s would have seen the explosion of the personal computer or even the concept of the personal computer? Never mind the Internet and what that has done. In 1977 the height of geek toys was the new Typewriter my housemate bought. What we don't see are household robots AKA Rosy the Maid or flying cars. It turns out those technologies are not as easy to develop as was once thought.

Second, people do not as readily abandon the old just because there is a new. We are still living in much the same kind of houses we did at the turn of the 20th century. The efforts of dozens of futurist architects and designers aside. Mind you those houses have improved materials, systems the turn of the 20th never thought of, and things that they never dreamed of, but the houses themselves? Still largely stick build boxes made of wood, brick, and plaster. There are two building in my neighborhood right now. Same old way. The carpenters are using power saws and nail guns. They have engineered lumber, high efficiency heating and cooling, might even be running cat5 or other high tech things through the walls, but the house is build out of 2x4s, the walls are covered in plaster, and the outside is clad in brick. From the outside they resemble my 70 year-old house in more the superficial ways. On the inside only style sets them visually apart. The machines for living differ only in the details. It is what people want.

Promising technologies don't always pan out. Anyone have an 8 track? How about pneumatic systems in the home? Both of those were the "Wave of the future" at one time. Futures built around the idea of some technology that looked good, but didn't work out as planed of course are wrong. Flying cars and robot maids anyone?

That said. Speculate away.

Mulsiphix

01-15-2008, 08:48 AM

I agree with the theme of your post. In the last couple of days I've watched two films that talk about the future and both are insane. How could these ever be? Blade Runner is set in 2019 I think and is WAY different than it will probably be. The Postman, although this isn't really a firm example, is set in 2013. I really hope we don't live in a post apocalyptic world by 2013 hehe. I could go on listing sci-fi movies that have it wrong but the theme of future technology isn't so much advancement as it is streamlining current designs and in the retail/consumer market, convenience.

tesral

01-15-2008, 10:47 AM

I agree with the theme of your post. In the last couple of days I've watched two films that talk about the future and both are insane. How could these ever be? Blade Runner is set in 2019 I think and is WAY different than it will probably be. The Postman, although this isn't really a firm example, is set in 2013. I really hope we don't live in a post apocalyptic world by 2013 hehe. I could go on listing sci-fi movies that have it wrong but the theme of future technology isn't so much advancement as it is streamlining current designs and in the retail/consumer market, convenience.

And the invention from out of the blue, the unexpected technology that changes everything. The last one was the microchip, and that is still reverberating through society. From the first humble integrated circuit to the most complex multi core CPU of today. Not just computers, but the embedded products that are life changing. The current direction of prosthetics would not be possible without the microchip. It is allowing the handless to grasp and feel what they grasp, the legless to walk normally, even the sightless to see and the deaf to hear. Work is being done to let the paralyzed control things directly with their minds.

The advances in medicine. It was recently announced that a working heart (http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/01/14/rat.heart.ap/index.html) has been cerated from growing heart tissue. These things are yesterday's science fiction, tomorrows routine treatment.

Currently I wouldn't predict the shape of things in five years, never mind fifty.

Mulsiphix

01-15-2008, 12:03 PM

Currently I wouldn't predict the shape of things in five years, never mind fifty.Well said. However, five years isn't enough time for anything drastic to happen. Even if some new technology hit the retail market, or closed corporate for that matter, it would take years for the masses to digest it. Look at how long it took people to switch from Tapes to CD's, VHS to DVD, CRT to LCD. Now 10 years is sufficient in my opinion, but as a bare minimum.

nijineko

01-19-2008, 09:52 AM

i've consistently invented things that i get beat to the punch with. anyone given any consideration to the concept that ideas are multi-dimensionally shaped objects that pass through the collective consciousness of humanity the way a hyper-cube fluxes and shifts when viewed from a 3-dimensional framework?

Mulsiphix

01-19-2008, 11:53 AM

Yes I've considered it but if the past is any indication of this collective consciousness then the system is irrevocably damaged. Sooner or later you'll just have to accept that there is no originality left in the world. Maybe you weren't beaten to the punch. You would have been first if you had only been born several years earlier ;)

Riftwalker

01-19-2008, 02:41 PM

i've consistently invented things that i get beat to the punch with. anyone given any consideration to the concept that ideas are multi-dimensionally shaped objects that pass through the collective consciousness of humanity the way a hyper-cube fluxes and shifts when viewed from a 3-dimensional framework?

That would be crazy. Go to work, put on a contact lens and your able to operate machines you normally would have trouble with. Seriously awesome. I'm still trying to digest those glasses they have that create the effect of a big screen TV X amount of feet away from you.

nijineko

01-21-2008, 10:33 AM

there's some research going into control surfaces that you just paint onto any flat paintable surface.

Mulsiphix

01-21-2008, 10:40 AM

It sounds like your talking about painting a wall. I don't follow. Do you have an image or link with more info?

nijineko

01-28-2008, 06:58 AM

pretty much. imagine your car dashboard being painted on, rather than a bunch of gauges and dials and manual controls. i can't seem to find an online link. it was in one of those science mags that i read it.

boulet

01-28-2008, 12:26 PM

One research field I pay attention to is agriculture. For instance I remember reading an article about development of perennial cereals (alas can't remember which magazine). The idea is to reduce the cost in resources and work to grow and harvest cereals. Plus cereals with deep roots would tolerate more difficult climates or poor soils. It could lead to efficient solutions against malnutrition.

RPG-wise it makes me feel like playing in a near-future cyberpunkish setting where third world countries finally break through and invent new political/economic models while western world is falling into decadence. Post-apocalyptic sci-fi, without the need of a cataclysm ? Bruce Sterling's books are a great inspiration for this genre (Islands in the Net for instance)

Mulsiphix

01-28-2008, 01:45 PM

RPG-wise it makes me feel like playing in a near-future cyberpunkish setting where third world countries finally break through and invent new political/economic models while western world is falling into decadence. Post-apocalyptic sci-fi, without the need of a cataclysm ? Bruce Sterling's books are a great inspiration for this genre (Islands in the Net for instance)Adds another novel to his "must read" list.

pretty much. imagine your car dashboard being painted on, rather than a bunch of gauges and dials and manual controls. i can't seem to find an online link. it was in one of those science mags that i read it.One thing I don't get about those contacts though is they will really only be helpful when your looking at exactly the right angle. Otherwise the RPM gauge info could be over the odometer :eek:

Riftwalker

01-28-2008, 01:54 PM

I think you're combining two things. Nijineko isn't talking about the contacts, he's talking about some sort of paint that's able to change its pigment in response to some input, such as a car's speed. Yesterday, people bought CRT TVs. Today, people buy flatscreens. Tomorrow, you'll buy a bucket of paint and just paint the wall.

Mulsiphix

01-28-2008, 02:22 PM

My mistake. I was talking about the contacts. So on the subject of the contacts, does anybody have a comment on my confusion for how your supposed to use them?

Riftwalker

01-28-2008, 02:29 PM

Augmented Reality: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augmented_reality

Imagine getting directions to somewhere not via a printout from Google maps or your GPS handheld device, but via an overlay drawn onto your perception of the actual world (via the contact lenses.) Instead of "turn right at Main street", when you get to Main street, you see the giant arrow that traces out your directions turn right onto Main street. The giant arrow appears to you as a semi-transparent yellow path about 15 feet off the ground.

nijineko

02-02-2008, 01:02 PM

oh, the potential for hacker abuse....

rabkala

02-02-2008, 01:18 PM

oh, the potential for hacker abuse....
You would be driven to every strip club and porn shop in town.
Then the pop up ads in busy traffic, could be very dangerous.

nijineko

02-03-2008, 12:23 AM

now if it could be made to edit out things you didn't want to see on the fly....

Mulsiphix

02-03-2008, 01:29 AM

You know companies will offer free versions of those contacts that are paid for through advertising while you drive :p *cough* NetZero *cough*

nijineko

02-03-2008, 04:03 AM

hey, i'd actualy seriously consider buying a pair that cut out certain aspect of the... scenery... that i don't wish to partake of on a constant basis. it would be amusing if those things were replaced by ads. but i somehow suspect that would not help ones mental image of the things one does not wish to see. ^^

Farcaster

03-14-2008, 11:39 PM

Here's an article on CNN speculating about future car technology around 2020: http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/03/12/cars.of.future/index.html

Inquisitor Tremayne

03-17-2008, 11:10 AM

Here's an article on CNN speculating about future car technology around 2020: http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/03/12/cars.of.future/index.html

WOW!

I'm reminded of I Robot...

whatiswhat

03-27-2008, 12:53 PM

Here is a bit of future tech excerpt form a Game I wrote APOCalypse 2500 (http://www.swordandsigil.com)
The real cool thing about it was after I wrote it initially I found it was actually an Idea being worked on at several universities. So I of course refined it to mirror to some degree a real direction of research. However (watch out ego) I believe my design and application is better, based on online accounts of project progress and application of theory.

"P-Cell Technology Primary modern human power technology is based around the tritium ion power cell, a form of nuclear battery developed to its full potential in the late 22nd century. This nearly four hundred year old technology has proven to be such a sound performer that nothing new has been developed to take its place. Although a number of superior less portable nuclear power sources exist the compact regenerative T. I. P. Cell or P-Cell is so cheap to produce and common that they are still the standard portable power pack for much of human technology. Even in areas of low technology P-Cells are still somewhat common. Due to the high output possible from P-Cells, directed energy weapons and force fields became a reality in the mid 23ed century. Calling the P-Cell a battery is a misnomer as it is a power system or generator storage combination rather than just simple power storage. The P-Cell uses beta voltaic technology to absorb charge from decaying tritium gathering energy at a steady rate via super efficient radio voltaic cells. The charge is stored in a capacitance circuit for later discharge at varying rates. P-Cells do not have to be externally recharged rather they recharge themselves at a relatively slow but consistent rate. The tritium collectors have a useful life of 12 years however the capacitance circuit only has a service life of approximately 5 years. Another benefit of P-Cells having been around so long is that industry standardization has caught on by default resulting in only six sizes common in today’s technology."

So here is something that would power your laser gun, your try-corder, and your car.

spotlight

03-27-2008, 05:50 PM

What if you put your contacts in side ways or accidentally put the left in the right eye and the right in the left? Would Main Street be upside down or turned the wrong way?

As for paint a 'tv' on your wall ... go check out Farinhiet 495. Or was that 493? or some other number? HEY, quit tryin' to make me remember. It's Spring time, got other things ta do. Like makin' more rabbits.

Frobozz

03-28-2008, 08:52 AM

Fahrenheit 451, the temperature at which paper burns (also why fire-proof file cabinets are rated as: UL-450, the internal temperature will not exceed 450F for one hour in a standard blaze or something like that. :) )

Want THE TV of the future? This is IT. This is the end-all-be-all of display technology here. It's sharper than anything else, it's got higher contrast than anything else, it emits light so there's no viewing angle problems as in LCDs, it's so thin, it can be made flexible and to make the screens is an adaptation of inkjet technology. You just spray on the semiconductors; this makes their manufacturing cost tiny as well if it weren't for companies kidney-punching you in the wallet due to patent royalties. They're called OLED displays and they're on the immediate horizon with some already in production.

Iceland already is 85% alternater power with thermopowerplants, and is moving to be using hydergen by 2015-2020!

GBVenkman

04-21-2008, 12:25 AM

Is there a blade runner RPG?

that would be cool with saga.

x out the jedi class and force points (or call them lady luck points)

The replicants wouldn't be too hard to map as droids.

as far as near future stuff, I work in a lab in a hospital and am going to school for biochem, so I read a lot of research lit; it think that's a good place to look at what's coming up in the next 20 years.

I think the Star Wars Universe of making mechanical appendages is going to be out done on earth in the next 50 years when we're able program cells into regenerating lost limbs or organs.

But many discoveries have happened as blunders, so who knows what'll pop out soon.

Dimthar

05-30-2008, 01:04 PM

Well, it looks like we may be playing Catch-up again.

This project is really promising. What I really like about this initiative is not the "Solar Panels" but the "Public Transportation" model. I really hope it works.